“It is a very depressing day indeed, when the very name of our country is being cancelled”
The SS Great Britain Trust fundraising appeal in March 2026 aimed to raise £180,000 in just six weeks to complete the reinvention of the Dockyard Museum(Image: SS Great Britain)
Bosses at the charity running one of Bristol’s main tourist attractions have described as ‘inaccurate’ widespread criticism that they are renaming Brunel’s great ship the SS Great Britain, and defended their decision to rebrand their venue as ‘Bristol’s Historic Dockyards’.
The rebrand comes ahead of next month’s opening of a £1 million revamp of the museum, but the ship itself is not being renamed – contrary to reporting last week which has triggered something of a backlash.
Even the historic Royal Society of Saint George, which has the King as its patron, criticised those running the SS Great Britain attraction for the move, calling it a ‘very depressing day indeed’.
Last week, Bristol Live reported that the SS Great Britain attraction was being renamed as ‘Bristol Dockyards’, which would still have the ship named the SS Great Britain as the main part of it. But the long term plan is to restore the Albion Dock next door and create a full-size replica of one of Brunel’s other great ships, the SS Great Western, and the new name reflects that.
When the £20 million Albion Dock restoration project is completed, and two of Brunel’s great ships are part of the same visitor attraction, the Bristol Dockyards name will encompass both.
The chairman of the Royal Society of St George, Dr Chris Houghton, said: “It is a very depressing day indeed, when the very name of our country is being cancelled and abolished in the name of what a small group of activists term, ‘diversity.’
“People across the country, from whatever background, will be appalled to see the removal of the name — Great Britain — and that of its creator, Brunel, a titan of the 19th century,” he added.
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“The Royal Society of St. George embraces people of every faith, creed and ethnic background, and we know that millions of ordinary people are disheartened and concerned by the constant attacks on our English and British customs, achievements, history, and heroes.
“We urge the Bristol Dockyard to do the right thing and to reverse their decision. If they persist with their campaign to abolish our country’s name, and to dishonour the great ship which is in their keeping, then the good people of Bristol and potential visitors to the dockyard should vote with their feet — and not visit the attraction. The site, as a major tourist attraction, should be rebranded: The Home of Brunel’s Great Britain,” he added.
Criticism for the decision to switch to a ‘Bristol Dockyards’ name came from across right-wing media, sparking an opinion-editorial in the Daily Telegraph called ‘Bristol is the most annoying city in Britain’.
But the bosses of the SS Great Britain said much of the criticism was based on an inaccuracy – Brunel’s ship isn’t being renamed, the masthead isn’t being changed, only the brand of the visitor attraction itself.
The SS Great Britain is one of Bristol’s most famous and popular visitor attractions.(Image: mattbuck)
“It is, of course, inaccurate to say ‘Great Britain’ will be removed from the masthead or that the ship is being renamed,” a spokesperson said.”
The rebrand applies to the Bristol Dockyard site as a whole, and will continue to be billed as the ‘home of the SS Great Britain’. The site has been renamed to reflect the site’s wider role in maritime heritage, education, culture and place.
“The reopening of the museum is the first phase of development envisioned by the SS Great Britain Trust and its long-term commitment to transform the historic site into a broader cultural and learning campus encompassing the Great Western and Albion dockyards, reflective of Bristol’s long history of cultural innovation, sustainability and radical engagement with its heritage,” he added.
“Future phases of the project will focus on vital conservation work, reestablishing the Albion dock as a working dockyard for maritime skills training opportunities and broadening programming to reflect the interests of a modern, diverse Bristol.
“The realisation of this vision will culminate in celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the ship’s return to Bristol from the Falkland Islands in 2030,” he said.